01082020 - You're cruel insentitive for care of repentant terrorists, abandoning us

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28—SATURDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 1, 2020 Adegbite’s Gold Finger Stories by Moses Nosike Since he was made the Minister of Mines and Steel Development by President Buhari, architect Olamilekan Adegbite has been working hard to turn the nation into a major gold producing one. With the price of gold hitting unprecedented heights since the pandemic began, Adegbite moves is bound to benefit the nation immensely. Just before the lockdown, the minister was at the stone laying ceremony of the Segilola Gold project, in Osun State by Thor exploration, a project which comprises a proposed open pit gold mining project based on an indicated mineral resource defined by a comprehensive drilling programme. According to sources, the project will process 650,000 tons of ore, with a target production of approximately 80,000 ounces per year from next year. It was said that Adegbite has been actively supporting the project. During the block laying ceremony, the minister noted that the government was willing to give waivers on equipment and taxes to major investors willing to invest in the sector. “The Minister is overseeing the creation of a gold ecosystem in Nigeria. For the first time we have companies that mine and refine gold in Nigeria. Two gold refineries have been licensed who will refine the gold to international standards, which the CBN and other international investors can then buy,” says Ayodeji Adeyemi, special advisor on Media and publicity. He added that the vision of the honourable minister is to make Nigeria a major gold producing nation, which would generate revenue for the government and create a lot of job”. refined according to the London About two weeks ago, the first Bullion Market Association batch of artisanally-mined gold (LBMA) standards required for bars to be purchased by the Central the use of gold as a reserve Bank was unveiled at a reception instrument by the Central Bank ceremony to President Buhari on of Nigeria. July 16, 2020.This milestone is This means that the Central the culmination of 24 months of Bank will be purchasing gold that intense efforts by the leadership of has been mined, processed and Adegbite through the Solid refined under the Presidential Minerals Development Fund, Artisanal Gold Mining Kebbi and Osun states Development Initiative, PAGMI, government, Ministry of Mines for use as part of Nigeria’s external and Steel Development, and the reserves. Ministry of Finance, Budget and Adegbite said in his speech that National Planning under a this milestone is a demonstration Steering Committee led by the of President Muhammadu Chief of Staff to the President, Buhari’s commitment to Professor Ibrahim Gambari. It was diversifying Nigeria’s economy gathered that Nigeria has and foreign reserves. The produced, for the first time ever, Presidential Artisanal Gold in June 2020, artisanally-mined Mining Development Initiative gold that has been processed and (“PAGMI”) is a comprehensive artisanal and small-scale gold mining development programme, launched in 2019 to foster the formalization and integration of artisanal gold mining activities into Nigeria’s legal, economic and institutional framework. “PAGMI has been designed to integrate social, environmental, health and safety, economic, commercial and technical considerations, into its implementation. PAGMI is also designed as a broader strategy to address the structural and institutional factors such as rural poverty, lack of alternative livelihoods and difficulties in meeting legal and regulatory requirements that tend to push artisanal gold mining operators deeper into the informal economy”. Background: Using data from UN Comtrade, PAGMI estimates that between 2012-2018, 97 tonnes of gold valued at over $3 billion was illegally smuggled out of Nigeria. His Excellency, the President, approved PAGMI in 2019 to address these issues and foster the integration of artisanal gold mining into the formal system. PAGMI seeks to tackle and resolve these longstanding issues, while also contributing to President Buhari’s vision to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade. On how will PAGMI work, it was stated that the catalyst for the integration is the provision of access to markets for the artisanal miners through a National Gold Purchase Programme and the deployment of enhanced mining methods at artisanal and smallscale mining sites. However, providing better access to markets through the National Gold Purchase Programme is only the first step in a comprehensive artisanal and small-scale gold mining development strategy integrating social, environmental, health and safety, economic, commercial, and technical considerations. So, PAGMI will deploy safer and more efficient mining and processing technologies across artisanal mining locations across the country, starting with Kebbi and Osun states as the pilot states with intervention in Kaduna, Zamfara and Niger states to commence immediately after the pilot. Using a centralized offtake and supply system supported by a decentralized aggregation and production network, PAGMI will buy all the gold produced by artisanal and small-scale miners and aggregated by licensed buying centers and aggregators for supply to the Central Bank of Nigeria. Which States are benefiting from PAGMI? The main gold producing belt with history of artisanal workings and exploration activities in Nigeria will benefit from PAGMI. Intervention at artisanal mining sites will take place in Kebbi, Kaduna, Zamfara, Niger and Osun states respectively with Kebbi and Osun serving as pilot states. PAGMI will also be setting up gold aggregation centers in addition to supporting licensed buying centers and aggregators with access to financing options, Assessing Jobberman’s initiative in bridging Nigeria’s skills gap nemployment is high Uamong Nigeria’s youth population. This age demography (15-35 years) accounts for about 50% of 200 million population. To avert unemployment escalation and its dangers, Nigeria can leapfrog education and up-skill its youth for appropriate jobs through Online education especially as Covid-19 has engendered New Normal. This report assesses Jobberman’s intervention in this regard. Late last year, at the 31st convocation of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo state, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed worry on the uncomplimentary remarks by employers of labour that Nigerian graduates are not employable. The sweeping assessment simply means these employers of labour find it difficult to fill critical vacant positions to drive transformations. While this challenge has implications for the smooth running of the companies and growth of the economy, it is obviously one of the factors swelling Nigeria’s unemployment rate presently at 23.1%. “This means that about 50 million out of the 200 million population do not have jobs. Some of those that have jobs are not appropriately fitted for the jobs. Unfortunately, the youth (those within the ages of 15-35 years) who form about 50% of the population account for the highest number of unemployed out of which 25 million graduates are said not to have jobs”. A source from Jobberman’s initiative said that yearly, Nigerian tertiary institutions churn out many graduates, some of who are ill-prepared both in character and content for their own jobs or white-collar jobs. According to the source, as at last year, there were 174 universities (43 Federal Universities, 52 state Universities and 79 private Universities). Nigeria also has 134 recognised Polytechnics in Nigeria (29 Federal Polytechnics, 48 state Polytechnics, 57 private Polytechnics. Many of these institutions are poorly funded and they run on old models, a development which causes them to give birth to ‘poor’ students. “In the last few years, Nigeria has made strides to attract investments and equally encouraging local investments. These multi-billion dollar investments in various sectors of the economy that are competing in the global village need knowledgeable, hard-working, and articulate employees to handle tasks for the companies’ growth. It is not only about credentials, but having personable, cultured, confident and well-groomed individuals to represent the companies. While speaking at the convocation, Buhari who was represented by Suleiman Yusuf, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) tasked the universities in the country to ensure that their graduates are employable. “As it is and with the existing wide gap between employers’ demand and employees, the task of making Nigerian graduates, job seekers and workers fit into the new workplace environment is a task not only for Nigerian universities alone”. Jobberman’s intervention •Adegbite It was in this connection that Jobberman, Nigeria’s foremost recruitment platform that helps employers and job seekers solve their recruitment and employment challenges recently introduced its world-class online soft skills training, designed to upskill Nigerian youth between the age of 18 and 35 with the necessary soft skills needed in the workplace. Ordinarily, some University graduates and other job seekers may qualify academically for certain jobs, but they need certain non-technical skills to be recruited or retained on the jobs and this is where Jobberman, driven by tested managers, is filling the gap that some universities don’t offer. Jobberman, led by Hilda Kabushenga-Kragha who has worked in global consulting organisations including KPMG and McKinsey, understands how the Nigerian job market works. The firm is playing this critical societal role in career services to enable young Nigerian graduates secure their dream jobs. Having the right skills for the job is beyond a university degree. Many employers are looking for employees who have the necessary soft skills that make them better individuals in the workplace and can compete globally. Soft Skills, commonly defined as non-technical skills, enable individuals to interact effectively and cooperate better with others. These skills are vital to organizations and can impact culture, mindsets, attitudes, and behaviours throughout an enterprise. Participants who take part in the Jobberman Soft Skills training get certificates which can be presented to many employer partners looking to hire qualified candidates. So far, it is said that over 20,000 people have participated in the first Jobberman Soft Skills post-training assessment and many of them have started getting jobs after the programme. Jobberman’s career up-skilling has become significant in today’s Nigeria as many Nigerian higher institutions have remained stuck to the past as they are yet to integrate the necessary skills that are in high demand by the labour market into their curriculum. Most courses are still taught theoretically without practical experiences and this makes the average graduate not appropriately fitted for the demands of the present labour market, hence leading to poor labour performance. Underscoring the J o b b e r m a n Online approach The present time, more than ever, reenforces technology as the backbone of business, education Read more on www.vanguardngr.com responsible sourcing mechanisms, management and technical expertise including improved testing and processing equipment. What will PAGMI achieve? PAGMI will result in the creation of over 500,000 new mining and formalized jobs, leading to poverty alleviation for more than 1 million households. Wealth Creation: Under PAGMI, artisanal gold miners will earn more from higher productivity, better recovery rates, mechanization of operations, and better access to reliable geological information. Increased earnings for the miners will have significant spillover effects in the local economies as businesses will grow to cater to the increased consumption per household. Agreements have been reached with Thermo Fisher Scientific and Mettler Toledo, leading producers of gold testing and weight equipment to equip up to 50 buying centers across the country. Revenues: PAGMI estimates that the Federal Government of Nigeria could realize an annual average of $150 Million in taxes, $25 Million in royalties, and $500 Million accretion to foreign reserves from the integration of artisanal gold mining activities implemented by PAGMI. Reserves: PAGMI will allow the Central Bank of Nigeria to purchase locally produced gold in Naira to boost the nation’s foreign reserves.. Health, Safety and Environmental Benefits: Effective implementation of PAGMI will help to control the use of lead, mercury, and cyanides. PAGMI will also improve the working condition of artisanal miners, thereby reducing the number of in-pit deaths that are seen on an annual basis. Security: Illegal artisanal mining has fueled instability across gold mining regions with intelligence reports confirming a nexus between illicit gold mining and a rise in banditry. For the first time ever, formalization driven by access to markets will give the artisanal gold miners a guaranteed pathway to prosperity. The greater transparency that PAGMI confers on the flow of financing in the sector will help diminish the incentives for criminality. PAGMI successfully separated and refined silver from the gold mined by the artisanal miners, thereby delivering additional value to them. Developing agric sector in Nigeria needs commitment — Eatrich Boss t is no doubt a globally accepted fact that Iagriculture sustains human existence. In its most basic form, agriculture ensures that there is food on the table and cloth for an average citizen. Hence, it has been described as one of the biggest and most profitable sector in the world. To bring it closer home, Nigeria is one of the countries that needs agriculture to grow its economy, even as it contributes a staggering 22 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than any real sector of the economy. Also, it remains the single largest employer of labour in the Nigerian market, and a money spinner for smart investors. However, if properly planned for, many Nigerians yearn to tap into this huge goldmine to diversify their investment portfolio and generate residual income. Now those into it have not found it easy because agricultural sector in Nigeria has not developed. Following this background, in 2016, Eatrich Farms has carved a niche for itself to become a solid investment platform for Nigerians. Since established, Eatrich Farms has worked through the entire agriculture value chain ranging from planting, harvesting, processing, packaging and retail, and is poised to deploy this knowledge for the benefit of investors/partners. According to CEO, Ambassador Sam Afolabi, Eatrich is not just another agriculture company, it’s a story. “Eatrich emanated from stark experience of the challenges bedevilling agricultural practice in Nigeria and is committed to changing the narrative through strategy deployment of technology. I grew up in a family where my father and mother were raised as core farmers. I remember in those days where I used to follow my mum to the farm during school vacation. We worked practically all day on the farm all through my university Read more on www.vanguardngr.com
It is Thursday morning as I write this. I am thinking about Emmanuel Ndubuisi Egbo, the little-known Nigerian International goalkeeper (represented the country about a dozen times between 1998 and 2002), who played his professional football mostly in the littleknown Albanian League, but has emerged recently as a historymaker in the annals of European football and of Black/Africans. I am thinking about the state of the world; about the way a small virus continues to humble mankind and bring him to his knees. I am thinking about how, indirectly, this still unfathomable virus has brought the vexatious matter of the Black race to the front-burner of global discourse and agitations. In recent days, I have been watching Pep Guardiola, one of the most respected football managers in the world today, in a recorded sound bite on CNN television, apologizing on behalf of all White people for the way Blacks have been treated in the world for 4 Centuries and how ashamed he feels as a Whiteman. It is simply incredulous to observe this sudden turnaround in the struggle of Blacks to find respect and equality in this world. In my small and insignificant contributions, several times in my newspaper columns in the past few years, I drew the attention of readers to the continuous barricade of Black athletes in Europe from entry into senior managerial and technical areas of sports. Why are Black players considered good enough to play the game, but never good enough to manage it? I was almost a lone voice then. The great influencers of sports in Africa, the journalists, kept silent as if they did not understand what was going on, victims also of the indoctrination of subservience to a superior race? I wrote about Black players suffering racial slurs and chants that remained largely unpunished by world sports governing bodies that appear to be silently complicit in perpetuating the ugly practice, because of the colour of their skin. The best that has been done is a slap in the wrist of offenders, SATURDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 1, 2020—29 ‘Black Lives Matter’ all talk and no action. Here are some revealing facts in football. At the World C u p , France ’ 9 8 , when the number of participating African teams was increased from 3 to 5, no Black African coach led any of the 5 African teams. All the coaches were White. In 2010, when an African country, South Africa, hosted the World Cup for the first time in history, there was not a single African coach was at the party. At Russia 2018, Aliou Cisse of Senegal was the only Black/African coach amongst the 32 managers that participated in a championship won by France, a country that paraded 10 players of Black African descent. Since France ’98, 5 championships later, there have only been 7 African coaches leading African teams. The worst case is in Africa itself. At the last African Cup of Nations football championship in 2017, with 16 countries in attendance, there were 13 White foreign coaches and only 3 Africans. Why, why, why? Why is it that Black players are the toast of some of the best teams in Europe, yet none of them is good enough to become a manager after their careers, even when they acquire all the necessary certifications and diplomas like their White counterparts that have monopolized management through the over 150 years of European football at the highest level? I can go on and on. It is obvious that this is the product of 400 years of physical and mental enslavement and the failure of the Black race to break down the barriers of prejudice and racism. The present architecture of the world is not designed so the Black person can easily get to the top of anything. He occasionally does so but not without tears, sweat a n d blood, and by accid e n t more t h a n any systemic design. The evidence is a l l around us Ṫhanks t o events around the present pandemic, we are witnessing the birth of, probably, the greatest movement of the Black race in history that will finally unshackle him from slavery and racism. Now, entire sports teams ‘take the knee’, raise clenched fists in the air, adorn ‘T’ shirts and jerseys branded with the inscription ‘Black Lives matter’. There is an unstoppable avalanche building up around the world in ongoing protest marches in major Western capitals of the world. Emmanuel Ndubuisi Egbo Why is it that Black players are the toast of some of the best teams in Europe, yet none of them is good enough to become a manager after their careers? adds a dimension to all this. The Nigerian emerges from the shadows into the limelight of European football as manager of KF Tirana, a premier division Club in Albania. He leads the club to win the 10-club domestic league, and will now lead it again into the prestigious UEFA Champions league next season. He may thus make history and become the first African to achieve both feats. So, we congratulate and celebrate Emmanuel Ndubuisi Egbo for breaking the Calabash, and in doing so, we ask other relevant questions: why it has taken this long, whether this is a one-off ‘accident’, what can be done to right the injustices of the past and to create a new world with Blacks as equal partners post-covid 19? The future is going to be a global War, but without guns. Power will never be surrendered to Africans on a platter, because it is never surrendered, but taken by ‘force’. I am thinking. When I chose to contest for political office in Ogun State two years ago, my mission was to use my homestead in Nigeria as the site for the establishment of the epicentre of a new Black and African Consciousness, Civilisation and Culture in the world (what Ghana has embarked upon now) to be driven by specific projects designed to catalyses, facilitate, enforce and accelerate the achievement of that vision. I wanted to promote the revival of the World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture as the fulcrum of the movement, held in a new format that would involve all aspects of leisure and entertainment – dance, drama, music, film, sports, literature, etc - and where every participating Black and African country would independently choose the scope of their involvement in the annual cultural festival and fund it. That way rather than be a burden on the host country, it will be a great economic, social and political development catalyst. This morning, I am thinking all of that, plus Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola and his call for reparation for 200 years of Black slavery in the 1990s. I hear that same call reverberating around Western capitals today as the Black movement gathers momentum. That great man saw tomorrow. I am thinking this Thursday morning about many things! The underlining theme, however, is that the time is here when, truly, Black Lives will start to matter. Goodnight, Chukwuma Igweonu! He was a great Nigerian insideforward who was so good that that a song was waxed in his name by a popular Onitsha-based Highlife musician (I don’t remember his name) when he featured prominently for Jos Highlanders, Port Harcourt Red Devils, Enugu Rangers, and the national football team of Nigeria, the Red Devils. I can recall a part the sweet melody and a few lyrics of the song as if it was yesterday: “Chukwuma shoot am o, It is a goal o, Dike, Chukwuma shoot am o, It is a goal o”. I was too young to have watched him play but his name was everywhere, mostly in radio commentaries of matches by Ishola Folorunsho. I met him, however, in the late 1990s when I organised the first ever reassembly of all surviving ex-internationals in the country at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. I hosted the two days and it brought together a lot of the old greats from the group of the 1949 UK Tourists to that present: Justine Onwudiwe, Isaac Akioye, Okwudili Daniel, Cyril Asoluka, Fabian Duru, Amusa Shittu, Johnny Egwuonu, Dan Ajibode, Ismaila Mabo, Emmanuel Okala, Christian Chukwu and Chukwuma Igweonu, amongst others. It was on that occasion that I met the goal-scoring machine and football legend called Chukwuma Igweonu. The large contingent from outside Lagos were accommodated at Dr. Victor Olaiya’s Stadium Hotel, behind the national stadium. The old crooner was a great football fan. He knew most of the players personally during their playing days. For the two nights that they spent in Lagos, Dr. Victor Olaiya spiced up the evenings with LIVE performances with his band of his evergreen, delightful Highlife songs. It was the first and the last such assembly in Nigerian football history. Last Tuesday, July 27, 2020, at the age of 83, Chukwuma Igweonu joined his ancestors in a hospital in Awka, Anambra State. On behalf of all generations of Nigerian footballers, I send condolences to the family, and pray that he finds eternal, peaceful rest as he journeys back to his Creator. Lokosa parts ways with Esperance Nigeria striker Junior Loko sa has parted ways with his Club Esperance of Tunisia, the club confirmed. The club said in a post on their social media handle on Wednesday that the Nigeria international has ended hi spell at the club. Lokosa joined the club in winter 2019, had his best time in the first half of 2019 before an injury slowed down his progress at the Tunisian club. The former Kano Pillars forward went down the pecking order after Esperance decided to bring many strikers into the squad. The 26-year-old managed two goals in 11 appearances for Esperance but won the CAF Champions League and Tunisian league title with the club. Italian Serie A club Napoli have finally confirmed the signing of Nigeria international, Victor Osimhen. The financial terms and length of contract signed by the former Lille striker have not been disclosed by the two-time Serie A champions. However, Italian transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio earli- EPL: Ndidi misses out on top interceptor accolade Leicester City holding mid fielder Wilfred Ndidi has missed out on the top interceptor accolade in the English Premier League for the 2019-2020 season. Football statistics website Whoscored.com has confirmed that Bournemouth’s Spanish leftback Diego Rico racked up the most interceptions in the recently concluded season - 84 in total from 27 games. Ndidi comes in second with 80 interceptions spread across 32 matches, ahead of Chris Basham (Sheffield United), Jan Bednarek (Southampton) and Declan Rice (West Ham United). Napoli signs Osimhen .Striker to pocket 20 m Euros in 5-yr deal er informed that Osimhen has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, with Lille pocketing 50 million euros from the deal and the Super Eagle set to earn 20 million euros over the duration of the contract. A product of Ultimate Strikers, Lagos, the 21-year-old had a breakout 2019-2020 campaign at Lille, netting 18 goals in all competi- The Nigeria international Ndidi w a s ranked the seco n d best tackl e r (128) following the conclusion of the season, behind Manchester United fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka (129). tions and providing six assists spread across 38 matches in all competitions. Osimhen began his professional career abroad at Wolfsburg, for whom he made 16 appearances, before transferring to Sporting Charleroi, where he rediscovered his goalscoring form, scoring 20 goals in 36 games. Gerrard heaps praise on Aribo Rangers manager Steven Ger rard has heaped praise on both Joe Aribo and Brandon Barker for their performances in preseason [Rangers FC Twitter]. Rangers recorded four wins in fixtures earlier this month against Lyon, Nice, Motherwell and Coventry as players got minutes in the legs ahead of the new season. Aribo was the standout performer across the games link- ing play well in forward areas and showing real prowess in the box, while ‘Saka among 5 best defenders in world football’ Bayern Munich young de fender Alphonso Davies reckons that Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is among the top five fullbacks in the world. Predominantly a winger, the Anglo-Nigerian has underlined his versatility be playing in multiple positions this term, including left-back, left wingback and left midfielder. Saka has had a breakout season, highlighted by the fact that he’s one of three players in the running for Arsenal’s Player of the Season and the Nigeria Football Federation are keen on securing his services. In an interview originally published on 90 min and reproduced Barker earned major praise from Bears for the impact he made off the bench, especially against Lyon. With the league opener against Aberdeen now just a day away, Gerrard has placed on record just how pleased he was with the two players he brought in from English clubs last summer. “During pre-season, we have been very consistent,” said Gerrard on Rangers FC Twitter handle. “Joe Aribo has been stunning, defensively we have looked solid and looked threatening going forward.” by Tribuna, Davies said when asked to name his top five fullbacks : “Hakimi [a new signing of Inter] is one of them. “I really like how Benji [Pavard - a Bayern teammate] plays, scoring goals and getting assists, so those two. “Trent Alexander-Arnold definitely and I really like [Bukayo] Saka from Arsenal. He’s a really good player.” To complete the shortlist, the 19- year-old Davies picked himself as the fifth fullback. Saka has been nominated for the prestigious 2020 Golden Boy, an award previously won by Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling.
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